Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge - Then and Now

CALLER-TIMES ARCHIVE The beginnings of the Harbor Bridge as seen from downtown in October 1957.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

CALLER-TIMES ARCHIVE The north and south sides of the Harbor Bridge grow closer during construction in March 1959. Below, the old draw bridge, called a "bascule" bridge after the French word for "balance" or "seesaw," lies in the background.

CALLER-TIMES ARCHIVE Eleanor Tarrant, winner of the Harbor Bridge naming contest, waits to drive the first car over the bridge at the dedication ceremony in 1959. Joseph Wolff, Chamber of Commerce president, sits beside her.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

CALLER-TIMES ARCHIVE The first vehicle to officially cross the Harbor Bridge following dedication ceremonies was driven by Eleanor Tarrant. She was accompanied by her 11-year-old son Larry, chairman of the State Highway Commission Herbert Petry and County Judge Noah Kennedy. Tarrant's ashes were scattered at the foot of the bridge in 1998.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

CALLER-TIMES ARCHIVE Cars cross the Harbor Bridge following its dedication and opening in October 1959.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

CALLER-TIMES ARCHIVE A lone pedestrian walks along the Harbor Bridge in January 1964. Today, the 2.3-foot-wide sidewalk is protected by a knee-high barrier, but it's still a harrowing walk beside 55-mph-plus traffic. A new bridge could include safer access for pedestrians and cyclists, the transportation department said.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

CALLER-TIMES ARCHIVE Traffic travels along the Harbor Bridge in this undated night photo.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

CALLER-TIMES FILE Southbound traffic on U.S. Highway 181 was detoured at the base of the Harbor Bridge around an overturned tanker truck that in 2004 destroyed one of the support columns of Tancahua Street Bridge over Interstate 37.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

TODD YATES/CALLER-TIMES Crews work last month near gusset plates, the flat pieces of metal that surround joints where steel beams meet. Corpus Christi's warm, salty air accelerates rust, which pushes the plates apart.

TODD YATES/CALLER-TIMES Traffic backs up on the Harbor Bridge last month. More construction delays and even closures of the entire bridge lie ahead if it isn't replaced, transportation officials say.

TODD YATES/CALLER-TIMES The Harbor Bridge has defined the city's skyline for 53 years.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

TODD YATES/CALLER-TIMES When rust causes gusset plates to move apart, it can pop out the rivets and bolts that hold the plates together. The plates surround joints where steel beams meet.

TODD YATES/CALLER-TIMES The transportation department said the Harbor Bridge within the next 20 years likely would face a major reconstruction, including replacement of primary truss members — the steel beams that support the bridge's longest section of concrete deck, the surface that carries traffic. At 620 feet long, it's the section hanging directly over the ship channel.

TODD YATES/CALLER-TIMES The transportation department said the Harbor Bridge within the next 20 years likely would face a major reconstruction, including replacement of primary truss members — the steel beams that support the bridge's longest section of concrete deck, the surface that carries traffic. At 620 feet long, it's the section hanging directly over the ship channel.

CALLER-TIMES ARCHIVE The Harbor Bridge was fitted with decorative lights for the first time in December 1986.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

TODD YATES/CALLER-TIMES The Texas Department of Transportation, the city of Corpus Christi, the Port of Corpus Christi Authority and American Bank partnered to add LED lights to the bridge. The bridge was illuminated in December 2011, more than a decade after the previous lights were turned off because of circuit failures and corrosion.